Smith Creek Park Preserve

The Smith Creek Park Preserve is a natural area located adjacent to Smith Creek Park. The preserve nature trail can be accessed from the park’s paved walking trail (red star on the map). The preserve is a natural habitat for many species of birds, mammals, reptiles and native plants. Learn more about them below!

Habitat
Canada Geese live in habitats near water, grassy fields and grain fields. Canada Geese are particularly drawn to lawns for two reasons: they can digest grass, and when they are feeding with their young, manicured lawns give them a wide, unobstructed view of any approaching predators. So they are especially abundant in parks, airports, golf courses, and other areas with expansive lawns.

The female’s drab coloring helps conceal her from predators during nesting and brood rearing

Many ornithologists believed the wood duck might go extinct by the early 20th century, but today their populations are stable due in part to the use of artificial nesting boxes, expanding beaver populations and restrictive harvests

In North Carolina, black bears are usually black with a brown muzzle and sometimes a white patch on its chest

All bear species have five toes on each foot

Each toe has a sharp curved claw enabling bears to feed on insects and grubs in decaying logs

Habitat
Bears prefer large expanses of uninhabited woodland or swampland with dense cover. In the east, lowland hardwoods and swamps provide good bear habitat. These types of habitat provide the necessary travel corridors, escape cover and natural foods that bears need to thrive.

Its name comes from the white color of the inside of its mouth, which is revealed when the snake gapes to defend itself

Head is distinctly wider than its neck, with a dark bar on both sides from the eye to the angle of the jaw

Body is patterned with dark crossbands invaded by light olive or brown centers; the crossbands are widest on the sides and narrowest on top (most nonvenomous water snakes are the opposite- the crossbands are the widest at the top)

There are nine large scales on the crown of its head and the pupils of the eyes are vertically elliptical

Juveniles have bright yellow or greenish tail tips and the crossband patterns are most evident

Older snakes are often dark and unpatterned

Average Length: 3-4 feet, but are known to reach 6 feet

Habitat

The most aquatic of North American venomous snakes and can be found in most habitats associated with water

Typically grows 8-10 feet tall, but may reach the stature of a small tree in protected conditions

Fragrant green leaves with orange and yellow glands on both sides

Females produce small, wax-covered fruits in early fall into winter

Habitat
Usually found near streams, lakes and other waterways, as well as in boggy grasslands and wet wooded areas

Uses

Source of food for many species of birds

Ornamental

Candle Making: The wax is extracted by boiling the berries and skimming off the floating hydrocarbons. The fats are then boiled again and strained. After that the liquid is usable in candle making through dipping or molding.

Historical Uses

Medicinal: Can be used as a treatment for a variety of ailments and diseases due to its reputation as an internal stimulant and for its antipyretic and astringent properties:

Diarrhea, inflammation and infections of the gastrointestinal tract

Headaches

Decongestant for colds, flu, cough, throat infections and sinusitis

Externally, a decoction made from the herb was used to cover slow healing wounds, hemorrhoids and varicose veins

Large doses were once used to induce vomiting as a treatment for poisoning

Compound leaves of three, similar to Poison Ivy, but its leaves resemble those of the oak tree

Poison Sumac- toxicodendron vernix

Small tree/large shrub with large leaves (7-13 on each branch) and white fruits

Poison Part

All parts of the plants

Poison Delivery Mode

Direct contact with the plants is needed to release urushiol oil- the sticky, resin-like substance that causes the rash

Symptoms

Itchy, blistering rash that starts 12-72 hours after you come in contact with the oil

Swelling is a sign of a serious reaction

Myth

Fact

Poison ivy rash is contagious.

Rubbing the rash won’t spread poison ivy to other parts of your body (or to another person). You spread the rash only if urushiol oil- the sticky, resin-like substance that causes the rash- has been left on your hands.

You can catch poison ivy simply by being near the plants.

Direct contact with the plants is needed to release urushiol oil. Stay away from forest fires, direct burning, lawnmowers and trimmers when they are being used because they can cause the urushiol oil to become airborne.

Leaves of three, let them be.

Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaves on a branch, although poison ivy and oak have 3 leaves per cluster.

Do not worry about dead plants.

Urushiol oil stays active on any surface, including dead plants, for up to 5 years.

Breaking the blisters releases urushiol oil that can spread.

Not true. However, wounds can become infected and make the scarring worse. In very extreme cases, excessive fluid may need to be withdrawn by a doctor.

I’ve been in poison ivy many times and never broken out. I’m immune.

Not necessarily true. The more times a person is exposed to urushiol, the more likely they will break out with an allergic reaction. For the first time sufferer, it generally takes longer for the rash to show up- generally 7-10 days

The word “loblolly” originally meant a thick porridge or gruel served to English sailors. When Europeans first came to settle the southeastern United States, they used that word to describe some of the local swamps where they found mud with the same thick, gooey consistency. The term also came to be applied to some of the plants that commonly grew in these areas, which is how loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) got its common name.

Today loblolly pine, is the most important commercial timber in the southeastern United States. Over 50% of the standing pine in the southeast is loblolly. The specific epithet, taeda, comes from the Latin word for torch and refers to the resinous wood.

This is an easily-seeded, fast-growing member of the yellow pine group and is an aggressive invader in fallow fields. It is widely grown in plantations for commercial timber production, but also has been planted to help stabilize soil and reduce erosion or as a noise and wind barrier. Loblolly has also been planted in mine reclamation areas and due to its high litter and biomass productivity, loblolly pine is being studied as a possible alternative source for energy.

Loblolly pine stands are important for numerous wildlife species. The trees provide habitat for many animals, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrels, rabbit, quail, and doves. Many songbirds feed on the seeds and help propagate the trees through seed dispersal. Red crossbills depend on loblolly pine seeds for up to 50% of their diet. Other birds who frequent the trees include pine warblers, Bachman’s warblers, and brown-headed nuthatches. Osprey and bald eagles often nest in tall loblolly pines. Two endangered species that also use these pines are fox squirrels, which eat the cones, and red-cockaded woodpeckers, which will sometimes nest in old growth trees.

The wood of this tree, which is marketed as southern yellow pine, is of lower quality than that of longleaf or shortleaf pines in terms of lumber and is therefore primarily used for pulp and paper products. However, it is possible for use as lumber or plywood.

Fire is very important in the Longleaf Pine’s success by allowing seeds to germinate and reducing competition

Historic Range:

Threatened Longleaf Pines, which once covered an estimated 90 million acres, now cover less than 3% of their original range

Longleaf pine forests need forest fires to thrive. Historically, leaf litter and debris were cleared away by forest fires that were sparked during lightning storms. The vegetation associated with longleaf pine reflects the frequency and severity of burning. In the North Carolina Coastal Plains, wiregrass (Aristida stricta) is the most common ground-cover in Longleaf forest When fire is suppressed, ground cover buildup prevents seeds from reaching the soil, and they can’t germinate.

Those seeds that are able to take root undergo an interesting life cycle that differs from most other conifers. Rather than spending its first few years growing in height, the longleaf pine goes through a grass stage. From the surface, the grass stage plant appears to be a large clump of needles that grows very little. The real work, however, is going on underground. During the grass stage, the longleaf pine starts to develop its central root, called a taproot, which will be up to 12 feet long at maturity. After going through the grass stage, longleaf pines begin to grow in height. Both mature trees and grass stage specimens are fire resistant.

With a reduction in fire occurrence, hardwoods and other pines encroach on the longleaf forest. Longleaf pine is intolerant of competition, whether for light or for moisture and nutrients. Within the range loblolly and shortleaf pines (P. taeda and P. echinata as well as hardwoods gradually replace the longleaf, eventually resulting in Loblolly Pine-Hardwood or occasionally Loblolly Pine-Shortleaf).

Longleaf pines, which once covered an estimated 90 million acres, now cover less than 3 percent of their original range. This tree was once so abundant that it seemed like an inexhaustible resource to early settlers. Forests of longleaf pine were cleared to make space for development and agriculture. The lumber, which is of exceptional quality, was used for building ships and railroads. Most of the longleaf pines were gone by the 1920s. Rather than replanting the longleaf pines, foresters replaced them with faster-growing pines that would produce more short-term economic benefits.

Restoration of longleaf pine forests has become a major conservation priority in recent years, though. Over 30 endangered and threatened species, including red-cockaded woodpeckers and indigo snakes, rely on longleaf pine for habitat. Additionally, longleaf pines are more resilient than other southeastern pines to the negative impacts of climate change. They can withstand severe windstorms, resist pests, tolerate wildfires and drought and capture carbon pollution from the atmosphere.